PREVIEW: The Florida Project

Sometimes, we go to the movie theater for escape, to fill our minds with images of far-off worlds and fantastic realities. We sit down and allow the screen to transport us away for two or three hours. In an industry full of reboots and sequels, The Florida Project, currently showing at the Michigan Theater, offers the tantalizing prospect of going somewhere altogether new. Moonee, a six-year-old girl, lives with her mother on the outskirts of the American dream in a hotel near Disney World. The movie follows Moonee over the course of one summer as she experiences the universal turbulence of growing up, but in a strikingly, unconventional living situation. Director Sean Baker’s previous work, Tangerine (2015), similarly chooses to see those in society that other films would sideline. He is also a filmmaker that is unafraid to take risks. Tangerine was gorgeously shot entirely on the iPhone 5. I am excited to see the latest work in what promises to be a very successful career.

The Florida Project will end its run at the Michigan Theater on Thursday, October 9th. Purchase tickets ($8 for students with ID) on the Michigan Theater website or at the box office.